TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (June 2, 2021) - The No. 2 Salt Lake Community College women's soccer team had several weeks to recover from the rapid pace of the 2021 regular season.

With that rest in mind, the Bruins are now primed to open the 2021 NJCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championships on Thursday, with the tournament being contested in Evans, Georgia. SLCC will enter the tournament as the No. 2 overall seed, while in-state foe Snow College entered as an at-large team in the No. 4 seed.

Bruins coach Mark Davis said his team is excited to open the tourney Thursday after several training sessions.

"Practice has gone great (preparing for this tournament)," he said. "We have not changed much, as we are trying to keep things as competitive as possible while staying healthy."

The format of the tournament is based off pool play, with No. 7 Seminole State and No. 11 Butler both participating in SLCC's pool. The team with the highest remaining score after a pair of matches in the pool will advance into the semifinal round, which will be played on Monday, June 7. Salt Lake will play at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday against No. 11 Butler, with a Saturday matchup against Seminole State.

Davis said the key to maintaining intensity throughout the tournament will center around hydration and nutrition in the humid South.

"We are really focused on drinking water, and staying hydrated and getting good nutrition," he said. "We are not that focused on the weather as it's something we really can't control, so we are just focusing on ourselves and getting both teams ready."

With the pool play determining who advances into the semifinals, the importance of starting the tournament well can't be overstated, according to Davis. 

"The biggest goal is to play our best and get out of group play," he said. "We are putting all our energy on the first match; after the first match, we will focus on the second match." 

The NJCAA national championship match is scheduled for Tuesday, June 8.